Lentil and Barley Soup
User Reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
Lentil and Barley Soup
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This plant-based lentil and barley soup has lime and cilantro stirred in at the end for a light, bright flavor. It's hearty and nutritions, packed with fiber, plant-based protein, and healthy veggies like carrots and spinach. Make it on the stovetop, slow cooker, or pressure cooker. You'll love this cheap, easy, and freezable soup any time of the year!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup brown and/or green lentils see notes
- ½ cup pearl barley NOT hulled, see notes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or other cooking oil of preference
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth, whatever you prefer!
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 oz. baby spinach roughly chopped (about 4 cups loosely packed)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice from about 1 juicy lime, or lemon juice, see notes
- salt and pepper to taste, see notes
- extra-virgin olive oil, extra herbs, and/or lime wedges for serving, optional
Instructions
- Place the 1 cup brown and/or green lentils and the ½ cup pearl barley in a bowl or container and cover with water. Allow to soak for about 15-30 minutes while you do the next steps.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the diced 1 large yellow onion and sauté until lightly caramelized, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes (this is a great time to prep your remaining ingredients). If the onions are cooking too fast, turn the heat down a bit.
- Turn heat to low and add the chopped 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika. Sauté for another 3 minutes or so, ensuring it doesn't burn but the garlic and spices get toasty and fragrant, stirring occasionally.
- Add the 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Stir to coat and continue to cook for another minute or so, until it turns a brown color.
- Add the 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth diced 2 large carrots, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
- Drain the lentils and barley in a mesh sieve and rinse well. Add to the pot. Cover and simmer on low for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils and barley are fully cooked. Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves. (Optional: at this point, if you want to thicken it a bit, you can pulse a few times with an immersion blender directly in the pot or you can transfer 1-2 cups to a blender to puree it, then add it back into the pot.)
- Stir in the roughly chopped 5 oz. baby spinach, chopped ½ cup fresh cilantro, and the 2 tablespoons lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, extra herbs, and/or lime wedges, and of course a nice crusty bread for dipping, if you desire.
Equipments used:
Notes
- Pressure cooker / Instant Pot instructions: Quick soak the lentils and barley as directed. Using the "sauté" function, cook the onions in oil as directed, followed by the garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Add the broth, carrots, bay leaves, and drained and rinsed lentils and barley. Cover, seal, and cook on "manual, high" for 15 minutes. Quick release the pressure and once the float valve has indicated it's safe to do so, press "cancel" and carefully open the pot. Stir in the spinach, herbs, and lime juice as directed, and season to taste.
- Slow cooker instructions: Quick soak the lentils and barley as directed. Sauté the onions in oil in a skillet, pot, or if your slow cooker has a sauté or stovetop function, directly in the crock. Add garlic, spices, and tomato paste as directed. Transfer mixture to the slow cooker crock if using a separate pot (tip: deglaze with a little water or broth if there is stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan before adding to the crock). Add broth, carrots, bay leaves, and drained and rinsed lentils and barley. Cover and set your slow cooker to low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. When it's finished, stir in the spinach, herbs, and lime juice as directed, and season to taste.
- Green and brown lentils are similar - they have the same cooking time and hold their shape for cooking - but have slightly different tastes and textures. I like using an equal mix of both when I make lentil soup. Red and yellow lentils do not hold their shape when cooked - they turn to mush. If you like, you can use a little bit of red or yellow lentils in the mix, which will help thicken the soup and negate the need to blend it at the end to thicken, but I wouldn't do all red lentils here because you want more texture to it.
- Pearl barley is more commonly found in grocery stores and is essential here, rather than hulled. Hulled barley maintains the outer bran layer, which takes a very long time to cook.
- Lime or lemon juice adds acid to the soup, which in my opinion is essential in lentil soup. If you don't have either lime or lemon juice, try adding a little bit of vinegar - red wine or apple cider would probably be best here.
- For the vegetable broth, I used Better than Bouillon low sodium seasoned vegetable base. It's become my favorite secret for my vegetable broth-based soups! I hardly make my own veggie stock anymore since the bouillon paste is so flavorful. I do usually opt for homemade chicken broth, since it has collagen and other nutrients not found in bouillon.
- You can freeze this soup in an airtight container for around 6 months.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the barley with rice or quinoa. Keep in mind rice has different cooking times - most, as well as quinoa, cook faster than the lentils. So you may have to adjust when you add it to the soup so it doesn't turn mushy.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
262kcal
(13%)
Carbohydrates
42g
(14%)
Protein
13g
(26%)
Fat
6g
(9%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
4g
Sodium
82mg
(3%)
Potassium
676mg
(19%)
Fiber
15g
(60%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
6139IU
(123%)
Vitamin C
14mg
(16%)
Calcium
71mg
(7%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 262 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 262kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 42g | 14% |
| Protein | 13g | 26% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Sodium | 82mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 676mg | 14% |
| Fiber | 15g | 60% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 6139IU | 123% |
| Vitamin C | 14mg | 16% |
| Calcium | 71mg | 7% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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